Chelsea to flog more outcasts to Saudi Arabia after Joao Felix exit – expert
Chelsea will likely target the Saudi Pro League to trim the excess players from their squad amid the lingering threat of further sanctions from UEFA.
Following their return to Champions League football after a three-year absence, Chelsea were hit with a record fine from UEFA for failing to comply with the financial regulations put in place.
The governors of European football run a different model of financial restriction to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
From the 2025/26 season, UEFA require clubs to spend no more than 70% of the club’s revenue on transfers, wages, and agent fees [UEFA].
Chelsea and Aston Villa, who were also fined, have the threat of a ban from European competition looming over them should they fail to comply with further restrictions they have agreed upon with UEFA, and as such, the expectation has been for the Blues to make a concerted effort to sell or loan out their unwanted players this summer.
And the first domino has fallen from the Blues’ squad, with Joao Felix agreeing a deal to join Al-Nassr for £26.2million up-front, with the deal potentially rising to €50m (£43m) based on add-ons [The Athletic].
Chelsea persevere as Saudi Pro League slows down
This article contains exclusive comment from Dan Plumley, a football finance expert and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.
The SPL stunned the footballing world in the summer of 2023 when they hoovered up talent from European sides.
The West London club sold Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy to Middle Eastern clubs, whilst N’Golo Kante and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moved for free to the league that year.
Angelo also departed Chelsea a year later for the SPL, and whilst activity between Europe and the Middle East has slowed, Plumley told Football Insider exclusively that it remains a valuable option of trade for clubs, especially a team like the Blues with the threat of sanctions hanging over their heads.
He said: “I think we’ll continue to see the Saudi Pro League be an option to sell to and ultimately for that league to buy from European talent.
“It has slowed down a little bit in recent years, but it’s still there. They’re still going to continue with that play.
“I think if you look at what’s happened this summer, we’ve not seen as much of that.
“I go back to the fact that it really was a moment in time where there was a desperate situation for a few of those clubs, and they did what they did in a reactive style, rather than a proactive one.
“This year it’s not happened as much, so it really is circumstantial sometimes and ultimately again we’re back to the regulatory framework and where those clubs were against that framework at that time.”
Chelsea eye deal with Man United for Nicolas Jackson
Having got Felix out the door for a tidy sum, Enzo Maresca’s side may look to loan Nicolas Jackson to Man United with a buy-option, Stefan Borson told Football Insider.
The Red Devils are in desperate need of a striker, a position that Chelsea finds themselves flush with talent after signing Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer.
Jackson was the starting number nine in West London last season, but he lost his place at the Club World Cup after receiving a daft red card against Flamengo.